Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-07-01
THE CIVIL WAR.
Tho Most Destructive, Costly aud
niurdcrons Ever Known.

Tho Most Destructive, Costly aud
niuTdcrons Ever Known.
| -
/ heard one OF the younger generation
SAYING that he was little tired OF hearing
continually, ana especially every year,
about memorial dNy,of the immense sacri-
fees Of lives and treasure made by the peo-
pie In the great civil war, aud all that.
The tone implied that ii was not such a
terrible thing after Nll, and was rather
small potatoes Ns wars go. 1t is we'll
enough To lresen up the minds oil the boys
now aud then M TO the facts OF the war,
aud what II costs their fathers. II takes
brit few dgures TO show that il was one OF
the greatest mud most momcnlous wars
ever waged among civilized people, and
tnking into confederation its length, the
most destructive, costly, and murderous
ever wsged.
Most 0l the famous wars Of ancient his
tory that the young nicn pour over in Lat.
in and Greek were not very great wars after
all compared with that fought out by their
fathers for the salvation OF the American
Republic and in the cause of liberty.
Look over these dreadful figures, young
man, and consider the awful significance
OF the following facts.
Official returns show that about 2,900,.
900 soldiers enlisted during the war in re-
sponse to the successive calls OF President
la AIt LAT g
were colored troops,
Reports show that the Northern and
Southern armies met in over 1000 skir-
mi-hes and battles. In las of these con-
aicts the loss on the Federal side was over
500 men. and in at least 10 battles over 10,
900 men were reported lost on esch side.
The appendent table shows that the COM
bined Losses OF Federal and Confederate
forces In killed, wounded and missing, in
the following engagements, were:
Shiloh. 240O0; Antie,am, 3S, 900; Stone
River, $4,000; Charlottesville, eS 900
Gettysburg, $4,000; ChickamaugO, 33, 900
McClellans Peninsula campaign, 10000
Grants Peninsula campaign 100000, aud
Sherman's campaign, l25,000.
Official statistics show that of the 3,000,-
900 men enlisted, there were killed in bat
tie A, 23S; died Of wounds, 40 POS ; died OF
disease, 1S6,2l6; died OF unknown cause
"a, 1S4 total, 403 s43. This includes only
those whose death while IN the army had
been actually proven. To this number
should be added, first, 25000 men are
known to have died while in the hands OF
tue enemy as prisoners OF war, and many
others In the same manner whose deaths
are unrecorded second, fair percentage
OF The 205,794 men who are put down on
the official reports ns deserters and missing
in action, for those who participated in
the war know that men frequently disap-
peared who, il was certain, had not deser-
ted, yet could not otherwise officially be
accounted for; third, thousands who are
buried IN private cemeteries all over the
north who died while at home on fur
lough.
Again the young men must not forget as
they read Of the great battles OF history
that few of them can compare in magni-
tude with the greatest battles of the civil
war, and that the battles OF that war were
the bloodest in all the history Of wars in
proportion of those killed to those engag-
ed. Waterloo was one of the most desper-
ale and bloodiest fields chronicled IN Euro
pean history, and yet Wellington's casual
ties were less than ~ per cent, his Losses
being 2,432 killed and 65S wounded out Of
over 100, 900 men, while nj Shiloh one side
lost in killed and wounded 9,746 out OF
"a 900, while their opponents report their
killed and wounded Mt e,6l6 making the
casualties about 80 per cent. tthe great
battle OF Wagrnm, Napoleon lost but about
per cent. AT Wurzburg the French only
lost 81 per cent. and yet the army gave up
the fields and relreNted TO the Rhine.
AT Perrysville, Murfresboro, Chicko-
manga, Atlanta, Gettysburg, Mission Ridge
the Wilderness and Spoitsylvania, the loas
frequently reached and sometimes exceeded
40 per cent. and the average OF killed and
wounded on one side or the other was
over 80 per cent
From The discovery OF America 10 1861,
in all wars with other nations, the record
gives The death in battle of but ten Amer
lean Generals, while from 1861 to 1865,
both sides being opposed by Americans,
more than one hundred General officers
fell while leading their triumphant COL
umns. From 1892 10 1861, the killed and
wounded npon American soil in all bat
ties, comhats and skirmiahes, added To-
gerher, as shown by reports, hardly ex-
ceeded the casualties of single battles OF
the great American conflict.
In addition to the vast Inst Of dead from
the war must be added those who have
since died from wounds received during
The war. The Hing is still going on about
ms rapidly ms ever, and men nre dropping
daily from "wounds received in acllomr
who onght 10 live long yeais yet. The iig'
ures have given really give hui glimpse
i,,t,l Tim ,pal trutl, Of thu ,wf,,I r,nr,.l;t,